Scrya Chronicles
by Born of Prayers
Summary: Yuuno Scrya was more than the just the one who brought the Ace of Aces into the world of magic. He was an archeologist and a member of the Scrya Clan. Now, offered a position as the Chief Librarian of a wing of the Infinite Library at only 14, he's given time to decide whether or not he wishes to be chained down or return to his roots. But things don't go so smoothly as he hoped...
1. Chapter 1

**Scrya Chronicles – Chapter 1**

The Infinite Library—a repository of knowledge in the form of a space-station that was used by various powers of time passed, spoils of war from various dimensions during the Warring States Era. Different wings held different forms of data-storage, seven-hundred years of knowledge from different sources tossed together by formatting rather than culture, and dumped into it without care or order. It was a sprawling trove of wisdom that had yet to be sorted into anything that would pass as orderly, and there were a number of librarians working to put order to the chaos.

At present one amongst them was hard at work as he floated off the floor of the wing holding the physical data-storage units, books. There was a book levitating in front of him, wreathed in viridian light to prevent any chance of accidentally damage it. His emerald eyes tried to decipher the contents through the lens of his glasses, unraveling the context of the work from recognizing the ciphers somewhat, when he received a ping in his mind over the telepathic channel.

'_Scrya-san_,' rang the mental voice of the Chief Librarian for this wing within the confines of his mind, drawing his attention. '_Can you come to my office? There's a matter I wish to discuss with you._'

'_I'll be there in a moment,_' Yuuno Scrya replied, setting the text back where he found it. It would most likely be there when he got back. Lowering to the ground he passed the sprawling piles of tomes that had yet to be sorted as he made his way to the exit. There was so much to do and not enough time or manpower.

He ventured to the office of the Chief Librarian for their wing, where he was welcomed inside by the man himself. Xoel Clavis was a man who was in his mid-50s at current, wrinkles beginning to appear and his black hair was being encroached by shades of grey. He looked tired and unassuming, but his lips were crooked into a placid smile.

"Good afternoon, Scrya-san," he said. "I apologize from taking you from your work all of a sudden."

"It's fine," Yuuno replied, taking a seat in the chair opposite the chrome desk that the Chief Librarian sat behind. "What was it you wished to discuss with me?"

"Yes, well…." Coal-black eyes settled onto his emerald ones as the older man set his arms on the desk and steepled his fingers. "Scrya-san, you've done a number of great things for the Infinite Library over these last few years. It wouldn't be a stretch to say you're responsible a great deal of the advances we've made to this date. That's why I wanted to tell you personally that I've nominated you for my position of the next Chief Librarian for this wing."

Yuuno took a moment to process that with a mere blink. He had been working at the Infinite Library for almost five years at present. At his current age, fourteen, it would make him the youngest Chief Librarian in the known history of the Infinite Library. "Um… is that really possible?"

"I wouldn't have nominated you if I didn't think you were qualified," he stated. "I've run it by some of my superiors. No one was opposed to the idea given your dedication and I'm not getting any younger. Not to mention the dreams…"

He arched his brows at the last word. "Dreams, sir?"

Chief Librarian shuddered. "Yes, the dreams… where the library itself is alive, swallowing me whole as I try desperately to escape from its grasp. I wouldn't be the first it's claimed. After some time the work simply becomes too much and I'm due for retirement anyway."

Yuuno mulled it over in his head, trying to think about what the position would entail. He already spent so much time there already, but it wasn't a chore. He liked working there and the hours simply seemed to pass by. But as it was he couldn't find the excitement or elation he would have expected from being offered the position.

It was missing, replaced a sensation of uncertainty. It ate away at him for reasons he didn't know why.

Xoel took his silence as an opportunity to add, "You can always refuse. It's a big commitment, time-consuming, and you are relatively young. No one would blame you for not taking the position to keep your social life and there will be other opportunities."

"It's not that, I just…" He trailed off, looking away and wondering why he wasn't more ecstatic about it. He scratched the back of his head and brushed against the ribbon in it that was tied around a gathering of strands, making a small rattail. It was a gift he'd received from Nanoha. Was that the reason he was so hesitant? "May I have some time to think about it?"

He received a slight nod in response. "I imagine you'd want to discuss it with your family and friends as well. We can make arrangements for two weeks off that you've had rolling over."

**[-o0o-]**

After being dismissed from the Infinite Library for the time being Yuuno found himself at the TSAB training grounds. His Civ-Device was granted a certain-level of access to the grounds as the Infinite Library was part of the TSAB headquarters structure. Normally Nanoha would be on Earth, but it was a long weekend and he had guessed that she would have arrived to make use of the facility with the proper permissions. She had mentioned it once before.

He found her, eventually, engaging in aerial combat against Fate. The two were in contrasting Barrier Jackets, clashing above as one tried to close the distance while the other bombarded her with shooting spells. He found himself staring at the white-clad mage while lost in thought for some time, just watching….

"Didn't think I'd see you here," said a familiar voice that he hadn't heard for some time. He turned to find Arf there in her adult form, although rather than the usual white top and pink shorts that composed her Barrier Jacket she was adorned in a white blouse and black jeans, keeping her black shoes. One of her hands was on her hips while the other held some kind of snack bar. "The glasses are new, Yuuno-kun."

"Yeah, but they help." He gave her warm smile. "Besides, I'm not the only one who looks different. I like it though. Makes you look more mature, Arf-san."

"I see you're a charmer now too," she said with a hit of humor to be found in her voice as she approached the glass and stood next to him. Much like his eyes had been fixed on the white blur speeding around the air above the training ground, hers were on the lightning bolt in human form, dressed in black and wielding a scythe made of mana."They're really going at it, huh?"

He nodded. "Looks like it."

"So, should I tell them you're here?" she asked, before taking a bite out of the bar in her hand. "It's not like they're in a rush since they have the field for another two hours or so."

"I don't want to interrupt them," he said as Fate burned a _Sonic Move_ and vanished, hiding even her mana trail in the process. Nanoha searched for it only to bring up a _Round Shield_ on her right that was slammed into by a cluster of _Photon Bullets_. It was a decoy as Fate appeared to her rear with her scythe upraised, ready to bring it down.

Yuuno wanted to tell her to watch her rear, but Nanoha didn't need the warning to bring her other hand up. A shield spell sprung into existence, the circle acting as a bulwark to stop the blade of mana. _Hoop Binds_ emerged from the circle as well, attempting to ensnare the device and its wielder, locking them into place.

_The spell we worked on together_, he thought silently. It was probably a year ago that she had come to him and asked for his help on the zero-distance bind spell, setting up the algorithms and streamlining it for use. That was when she had given him the ribbon that he wore in his hair, actually.

Finishing her bar and tossing the wrapper in the trash, Arf wrapped one of her arms around his and pulled the librarian close. "Let's go to Lunch. There's a place not too far from here and they'll be at this for a while."

"Sure," he said with a sigh, sparing the two aerial mages a final glance. "I've got the time."

**[-o0o-]**

"So, you came to ask Nanoha-chan if you should take on a Chief Librarian position for your wing of the Infinite Library?" Arf summarized what he told her over Lunch.

"I'm just trying to figure out why I'm not as satisfied about it as I should be," he said. "She's one of the people who know me best, so I figured she'd give me some insight into it."

"Well, if you don't mind I can take a shot at it," the familiar offered casually. "I can't claim to know you as well as her, but I think we can relate to one another enough that I can guess."

Yuuno found himself curious to her incite as well. Thus he nodded and gave her the go ahead. "Go for it."

Arf took a measured breath and then began. "You feel like this is something major, which it is considering you'd be the youngest in history to hold that position. But there's a void, a black hole where you would normally feel as though you can take pride in it. You know something's missing, something critical, and without it …this achievement has no meaning to you. It's hollow."

"That's… about right," he admitted. It was actually a bit freighting of how accurate her summary of what he felt was. "I _should_ be happy, but there's no emotional investment in it for me _personally_ for some reason. When I think back to before we met, the time when I was simply an archeologist stumbling upon a discovery, it feels shallow compared to then when it shouldn't."

"Why did you originally take the job, Yunno-kun?" she asked softly. Her eyes never left his as she continued. "Why did you give up archeology for being a Librarian, despite it being your clan's trade and something you loved?"

His mouth opened to respond. Nothing came out. Why did he give up archeology? What changed? The answer came abruptly and left his mouth in a whisper. "_Nanoha._"

It all came back to her. He introduced her to the world of magic and the TSAB, taking responsibility for it by teaching her initially. Time invested, a relationship formed, and he became attached to her as he watched her grow as a mage, taking responsibilities that were far above her head and not her own.

That attachment became powerful in such a short time. While he did love learning about history and exploring ruins as an archeologist, he gave it up so easily because he could be of more help to her nestled in the library. And after the Book of Darkness had been dealt with he stayed on as a Librarian.

Yes, it was of his own free will that he remained. It was a bastion of knowledge after all and there were still untapped treasures within it that had yet to be found. But, if he had to admit to himself, part of him always thought—always hoped—that if she needed him he would drop everything and be by her side in the role he once held since that night she found him injured.

That was why he kept up practicing with his spells every few nights. He didn't even like combat to being with, but he would always have her back. To keep himself from growing rusty just in case he was called upon even though she now had the likes of Hayate and her Knights, Fate, and even the TSAB.

That was why he occasionally played around with modifying his spells. Despite that it had been a full year since they even worked alongside one another when he held her develop the zero-distance bin, he still figured he could teach her something new. But between what Fate and the TSAB could instruct her through, the sad truth was that he simply didn't have anything left to teach her…. which was the one other major connecting point they had.

_Nanoha doesn't need me anymore_, he realized at last. That was why he didn't feel any major sense of accomplishment, because the reason he took the position no longer needed him. Because after everything he'd done to this point, nothing gave him more satisfaction than those times he spent guiding her and defend her.

The realization was so heavy it made his shoulders fall from the imaginary weight. The corner of his lips dropped down. He managed to stop them just enough to make his smile sad as he looked at the familiar. "How'd you guess so easily?"

Yuuno caught the sudden shift in her tone from placid to downcast as she whispered in an unusually low voice. "_It's not a pleasant place to be…._"

Then he recognized the look in her eyes. They weren't eyes of sympathy, acknowledging his plight. Nor were they eyes of pity at his realization, how he had shored himself up to be willing to drop everything to come to the aid of someone who would most likely never need it again. They were empathetic. "You too?"

Looking down into the mug, Arf stared bitterly at her own reflection. "I was uplifted in order to shore up Fate's weaknesses when she was younger and her body was still developing. I was a necessity for her. But she's gotten to the point where she doesn't need me anymore and her combat style has been refined to the point where I can't keep up or contribute in a way she can't do in spades."

She shook her head and looked up, revealing the melancholy hidden behind her gaze. "I can _fight_, but I'm not _needed_. What purpose does a familiar serve once they can no longer do the very thing they were created for?"

"Arf-san," he whispered breathlessly, taken at seeing her look so… lost. Usually only older mages created familiars once they were to the point that they need assistance in battle from age or injury. They could let the familiars take their place as they shifted into a different role and could dedicate more mana to them.

But Fate and Arf had been different from the start, being uplifted before Fate had even reached her prime, in order to save her when she was a Mid-Childan wolf. As a result, instead of taking over the mage's role, she was now being stripped out of her role as a guardian and fighter. The consequence of that was now she was adrift and searching for something else to fill the void that was her mission in life.

"So your change in outfit?" he guessed.

She nodded. "Just a failed effort to find something new, or different. I can't tell you how many Jacket templates I've gone through trying to make a change that matters but, while Fate was kind enough to let me live how I wanted to, I can't think of any other way to live that would let me be of help to her. It really—"

"_Hurts_," he finished for her. A single word meant to encapsulate the sensation of losing the purpose they moved under. It wasn't nearly enough to properly vocalize the feeling, but it was the only word that came to mind.

"Yeah…." She sighed. "I figured you'd understand since, for all intents and purposes you might as well have been Nanoha's familiar. Chrono still calls you Ferret Boy, you know?"

"Still?" Yunno only sounded exasperated at that. It was feigned to an extent. But it did allow his mind to drift away from the painful thoughts.

He imagined it was the same for her as she put on a soft smile. "You change into a small and cuddly animal, you're a synthetic A-ranked mage, and you specialize in using barriers, binds, and teleportation spells without a device. Lindy suggested that you were another example of legacy gene-modification made for body-guarding."

The mood shifted to something more lighthearted with that, a change of topics to alleviate the weight of the prior discussion. It was more than welcomed. "Probably one of the early Dawn States, but it's never been a priority for me to be certain."

"You could always join up with the Air Force if you still want to support Nanoha on the field," Arf pointed out. "Lindy could put in a recommendation and anyone with the clearance to review the incidents you were involved would do the same."

He actually thought about it. It would get him closer to her, back on the field… then he shook his head. "She still wouldn't need me. I'd end up getting into more fights and I wouldn't make any sort of difference in the grand scheme of things. I actually like working where I do, despite everything."

Arf sighed softly as she leaned her head back to stare at the ceiling. "At least you have that option. I only joined the TSAB because Fate needed me watching her back, but if I quit I'll only end up lounging around Lindy's house."

"Well, you could always come to work at the Infinite Library and see where that goes?" he offered, throwing her a lifeline as best he could. "It'd be nice to have a friend around, truthfully."

Snapping her head up, she made a show of thinking it over. "I might take you up on that. We'll see. But what do you plan to do next?"

"I… think I'll visit my clan," Yuuno said with some hesitance. When was the last time he'd done so? "They send a message to all members when moving between worlds and the last one I got stated they were staying at a compound here like they always do between digs. I haven't seen any of them in person for some time anyway."

He finished his drink and then stood from his seat. "It was nice talking to you after so long, Arf-san. We should do it again sometime."

She couldn't agree more. "I'll let you treat me next time then."

**[-o0o-]**

Yuuno approached a moderate-sized building that was being rented out to the Scrya Clan for the duration of their on-world stay. They were a nomadic clan that traversed the different worlds in search of ruins of ages past, all in hopes of unraveling the mysteries of the times lost or on contract, and commuted to worlds near the site to do an archeology expedition. Between the different expeditions and occasional contract by the TSAB, they rested on Mid-Childa and restocked for the next venture.

_It's been too long_, he thought to himself as he kept his distance. There were a number of his clan members around, all of them wearing Jackets that had their clan's tribal symbol emblazed upon them. Even the custom outfits had markings somewhere prominent. In contrast he was still in his work clothes.

"Yuuno?" said another familiar voice while he contemplated switching to his Barrier Jacket. It was one that he hadn't heard for some time. He turned to find Carrie Scrya standing there.

She was taller than him by a head, having undergone a growth spurt at some point. Her black hair was cut short in the front, the rest restrained in the form of a ponytail like his hair was. Her oversized shirt with her clan emblem on the front fell over her thighs, eclipsing her shorts, and around her neck was a diamond-shaped amethyst that matched the hue of her eyes.

"Hi Carrie," he said. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"That's putting it lightly," she shot back with more than a note of displeasure in her voice. "We weren't even sure you were going to come back. After all, you never come to see us when we're here after you got a job with the TSAB. Figured you lost your nerve after that mess with the Jewel Seeds you dug up and abandoned us."

Yuuno frowned a bit. It was a surprisingly sharp barb. "Is that what everyone thinks?"

She puffed out her cheeks. A habit of hers when they were younger that she apparently hadn't outgrown. It'd be cute if not for the fact that she was looking down at him. "Well it's what _I _think. You spend all your time away from us with your head buried in books. You even need glasses now from the look of it."

"Carrie, it's not like that," Yuuno told her. "I've just been busy and—"

She stepped behind him and then started to push him towards the compound, cutting him off through actions rather than words. He wasn't going to beat her in terms of strength so he didn't bother trying to hold out against her. Thus he was forced through the doors and into the midst of the rest of his clan members, most of whom were his seniors.

When he was a child there weren't many others close to his age. Carrie was one of the few. But now he could see there were many more members who were his juniors, and just as many his seniors. It seemed that at some point there had been a lot of births in the clan.

Most of the younger children were entertaining themselves in some manner, or resting. More than a few of the adults had brought up photos and charts, analyzing and combing over the latest discoveries and documenting the notes. At least until Carrie announced his presence.

"Look who we have here!" she shouted, grabbing their attention. Suddenly he had a number of eyes on him. It was weird, making him feel even more out of place by the lack of a clan emblem on his clothing.

"Hi everyone," he said a bit nervously. "It's been a long time."

To his surprise, more so given Carrie's disposition, he was welcomed back with open arms as a member of the clan who had been away. None more so than one of the elderly women who approached him and took him into her arms. "It's good to see you again, Yuuno-kun."

"Same to you, Elder-sama," he said, returning the gesture. She felt fragile in his arms compared to a few years ago. "I'm sorry I've been away for so long."

She broke the hug and chuckled, her wrinkles shifting in the process as she formed a smile on her face. "That's all right. Everyone has their own path in life and no one here would begrudge you for finding a different one than ours."

"I would!" Carrie interjected.

"Shush child," the Elder reprimanded her, before motioning with her hands for Carrie to leave. "Go and make some tea for us."

"Yes, Elder-sama…." Carrie glared at him before leaving in a huff.

Yuuno found himself at a loss with her as a result. He remembered her when they were younger, a simpler time before they were allowed on the actual explorations of the sites that they landed near. Carrie had been the one to try and teach him shooting spells and, when that failed drastically, she had been the one to help him with his combat training by testing against his shields while the adults were busy.

And now she seemed hostile towards him… not that he couldn't take a guess at why she was. She was proud of her clan. By setting off and being distant, he had probably offended her with his self-exile. His shoulders dropped at the thought.

'_Don't mind her,_' the Elder said through telepathy. '_She's probably the most excited to see you again despite being so hostile. Never was good at properly showing how she cared to others and always so proud of her clan._'

The Elder's mature fingers grasped Yuuno's hands. They also felt so much smaller than he remembered, frailer too. She turned to lead him to a table. "Sit, talk, you have the time for that, yes? How have you been?"

"I've been offered the position of being a Chief Librarian at the Infinite Library once the current one retires," he said as they took a seat next to one another. "I'll be the youngest one in history to get the position."

She laughed at that, a laugh of joyous pride at him that made her body tremble in conjunction. "You were always destined for great things it seemed. I'm sure your parents would be proud as I am."

He only nodded his head at that. His parents had died when he was less than a year old while working along with the Scyra Clan on a site. They were caught by a security system that had triggered when someone ran an aggressive scan and were among the casualties of it. The Scyra Clan took him in after that. He wished he felt more about their loss, but he never really knew them so it was only a lingering sense of what could have been rather than the agony of loss.

The Elder's gray eyes peered into his emerald ones inquisitively as Carrie returned and set down the tea. "But you didn't come here for permission or my blessing alone, did you? You seem to be hesitant about it, in fact. Why?"

"I'm not sure if it's what I want in the end," he admitted. "Don't misunderstand, I love working there, like I loved being an archeologist with all of you. But for some reason I'm feeling like something is missing from both of them."

"Hmm…yes, I can see that…" The Elder drank from her tea and sighed. "You were always so precocious when it came to magic and work. I should have guessed you would reach this point sooner than others."

"A friend suggested that it was because the original reason I joined, for another friend's sake, was no longer valid." His lips fell into a soft frown. "I can't help but think that she's right. I mean I like what I do now, but I gave up archeology to do it and if I take the position I'll be anchored there and…."

"Well, Yuuno-kun, the simplest solution will suffice here," she said. "Carrie and Theisal were assigned to a scouting mission, but I would feel great relief if you joined them. Your data acquisition and analysis abilities could come in handy, and you would be able to determine whether or not there's more satisfaction in what you do now or what you've given up on."

The Scrya Clan sent out scouts to find different sites when they weren't being contracted, following up on leads. The work involved making sure the conditions of the site were stable enough for the clan to operate there, involving some preliminary work. The length of time varied, but more often than naught it depended on the scouts.

Carrie cringed, a sight that was caught by the Elder immediately. A telepathic line was opened up between them. '_You have objections, child?_'

'_I'm not sure we can trust him to have our backs,_' Carrie stated bluntly. '_If it were the old him then I would, but after whatever happened with the Jewel Seeds he got all quiet and distant, like he was somewhere else while he was with us on that last site. And then he left again without warning and stopped coming back to work at the Infinite Library._'

'_Most of those things are classified,_' the Elder stated. '_Not even I have the full details, only that they involve Lost Logia, and from the report of the Flotilla Admiral it would seem he risked his life to accomplish them._'

"I do have two weeks off," Yuuno said, ignorant of the other side of the conversation. "What's the site like?"

"A planet on the fringes of what was once Provve space," the Elder stated. "It is a Type-1c that appeared to have been undergoing terraformation to a Type-4, but somewhere along the way the process ended early and created an isolated area within the harsh world."

"Hmm, that is strange." Yunno grasped his chin and furrowed his brow. "Perhaps during the Warring States Era they needed to expand their space so they sought to use a dimension that was useless for the most part out of desperation? It is possible that they were fleeing as well and that they had been accosted by their pursuers who put an end to the project."

"There's only one way to find out," the Elder stated. "Uncovering the mysteries of the past is our role as Archeologists."

"It might be a good thing to help me figure out everything. I'd be happy to go along…." He trailed off as he thought about Arf and her words earlier. "Actually, can I request that someone else join us as well?"

The Elder raised her brow in interest. "Oh? Who did you have in mind?"

"A familiar of a friend who I think might be interested," he said. "She's in a similar situation as I am and, in my last few experiences, it wouldn't hurt to have another A-ranked mage capable of healing, defense, and teleportation in case something goes wrong or we run across the usual trouble with site raiders."

'_Elder, we aren't a charity case!_' Carrie sent through the link. '_We can't have someone inexperienced going about on an unverified site._'

'_Shush,_' the Elder responded, before clearing her throat and speaking to Yuuno. "If the familiar is willing then they may join you. But the responsibilities will be yours to ensure that they follow the same procedures and precautions that all Scrya do. It will be the same as when your parents were with us. "

"I'll contact her and then get ready," Yuuno stated. "Thank you, Elder-sama."

**###**

**Chapter End**


	2. Chapter 2

**Scrya Chronicles – Chapter 2**

* * *

><p>Yuuno hesitated in the orange glow of the fading sunlight, standing outside the home of the Harlaown Family on Mid-Childa. He had spent more time than he realized with his clan, talking over some of the preliminary measures that would need to be taken for the trip, provisions to be bought, and what was expected. After that he entertained some of the younger kids in his ferret form, finding it to be a rather emotionally soothing—if not tiring—event.<p>

It was a modest home, standing roughly a story-and-a-half in height. The window panes reflected the dying light, casting it back over the carefully tended lawn of viridian grass. Flowering brush lined either side of the entrance, white butterflies gently resting on the golden petals in full-bloom.

Lindy Harlaown, at the very least, was expecting him. When he had called their residence, in order to try and contact Arf, she had told him to come over. It seemed like the polite thing to do. She was Fate's legal guardian, making her also responsible for Arf in that aspect, and asking her in person was only fitting.

No, what bought the hesitation was the fact that Nanoha was supposedly staying over for the length of her holiday. It made sense. They were friends, and it mitigated the commute time between Mid-Childa and Earth. But the day's revelations had not exactly readied him for a discussion with her.

Instead, he feared talking to her would complicate his already complex emotions further. Worse than that, what if Arf told Fate or Nanoha about their discussion in the café? Would she try to comfort him? Would she reject him? Would she pity?

Yuuno didn't think he could take any of those responses coming from her. The thought alone clawed at his stomach and heart. It left him struggling with two choices:

He could stay, braving his emotional confusion and turmoil to make his plea to Arf and her family. He felt like he owed it to her out of respect for listening to him, as well as a chance to connect with someone from his past. It felt more appropriate, since they were both in the same metaphorical boat

Or, he could leave while he was still unnoticed. It would be simple enough to say something came up. But then it would be rude, wouldn't it? He would feel _terrible_ for lying to them, just to relieve himself from the fear of seeing Nanoha.

The decision was ultimately made for him when he heard another voice that he hadn't heard for some time, marking the third time for that day. "What are you doing standing there, Ferret Boy?"

"Uh… enjoying the scenery?" he said meekly, turning to find Chrono Harlaown and the girl he vaguely recalled from the few times he was on the Asura, Amy. As tall as Yuuno had gotten over the years, Chrono had grown even taller due to being older.

"Right…." Chrono strode forward, Amy following behind, and came to a stop in front of him. "Honestly, I thought you had been buried under a stack of books at the Infinite Library, never to be found again. This is certainly the last place I expected to see you."

"I had something I wanted to discuss with your mother and she told me to come over," Yuuno said. "It would have been rude to refuse."

Chrono crossed his arms. "And yet you've been standing there for who knows how long?"

Yuuno scratched the back of his head, not willing to meet the pair of dark-violet eyes boring into him. He didn't want to admit he was nervous to Chrono, of all people. Thankfully, the door opening to reveal Lindy spared him of that.

"I was expecting Yuuno, but you're home early, Chrono." Her eyes drifted past her son and to Amy. "How have you been, Amy?"

"Very well, Admiral Harlaown," Amy said, holding up the bags. "I came to help make dinner, if you don't mind?"

"Not at all," Lindy said. "And you don't have to call me Admiral anymore. I'm retired."

Yuuno took a moment to register that bit of information. It was news to him. "You've retired?"

"Chrono is the new Flotilla Admiral of the Asura." She couldn't have been more proud in the way she said it either. "Anyway, all of you come inside."

Chrono and Amy entered through the doorway and into the home. Yuuno hesitated, still unsure if he should enter. Chrono settled the mental debate by grabbing his shoulder and pulling him in.

Dragged inside, Yuuno took his place at the table and sat in the chair across from Lindy. Since Chrono and Amy seemed content on making dinner, setting to work in the kitchen, it left the librarian with the smiling former admiral as she poured him a cup of tea. He couldn't help but feel a little out of his element.

"It will be a little while before the girls finish bathing for dinner," she said. "What have you been up to since we last seen one another? You haven't been involved in anything as troublesome as what we went through then, have you?"

"Of course not, ma'am," he said, scratching his cheek at the thought. Honestly, he couldn't imagine being caught in something like the Book of Darkness case a second time. Or that mess with the Jewel Seeds. "I've just been at the Infinite Library, but it seems I've missed at lot during that time."

She nodded to that. "The years seem to pass by so quickly."

"It seems that way, doesn't it?" There was an undertone of melancholy in his voice. "But, you can't help but wonder what it is that you missed."

"That's true too, I suppose." Lindy took a sip of her tea. It was rather sweet. "It's probably one of the reasons I retired. There was no time for me to do the simple things I liked, not mention trouble after trouble. Though there are times when I sincerely miss being on the Asura."

Taking a drink of the tea she offered him, he imagined how stressful her work had been. Spending vast amounts of time away from her home-world, while constantly monitoring and handling threats, was something that wore on you over time. It wasn't all that different from his time as an archaeologist, but she also had to look after Fate and Chrono. It must've been hard.

The silence that followed was broken when Lindy decided to open a telepathic line to Yuuno, not wanting for the others to overhear. '_Chrono is getting married next year._'

He nearly coughed up his tea in surprise. '_He is? To who?_'

'_To Amy, of course._' She tilted her head towards the pair. '_Just look at them._'

Looking over her shoulders, Yuuno watched how close the two were. '_I never would have guessed he'd be the type to get married so young._'

'_Me neither_,' Lindy said. '_I always thought he'd be the type of person who wouldn't be tied down because he's a workaholic. But now it seems like I'll be a mother-in-law and a grandmother._'

Yuuno was honestly having trouble wrapping his head around that. In fact, the revelation made him dizzy. But there was no time to dwell on the thought, or telepathic conversation, once Nanoha appeared in the hallway entrance, from where he suspected were the rooms.

"Thank you for letting me stay over Miss—" Partway through her sentence she noticed Lindy's guest. Her smile of gratitude towards Lindy became wider, bright enough to light up the room. "Yuuno-kun!"

"Nanoha!?" He barely managed to get out of his chair before the flying hug-tackle she gave him almost bowled him over. The impact jostled his glasses, knocking them off his face. "Uh, um… why—I mean, when did you get here?"

"I told you that Nanoha was staying over for her time on Mid," Lindy said, propping her head up on the table with her palms. She chuckled as Nanoha picked his glasses up off the floor and handed them back, rubbing the back of her head and sheepishly apologizing. "I figured it had been some time since you'd seen one another, and what better way for everyone to reconnect than through dinner together?"

"I see…." He replaced his glasses only to find Nanoha still standing there, looking him with gentle, indigo-eyes that seemed to glimmer as they stared into his own. His cheeks turned crimson, and he found himself noticing how much softer her features were than he remembered. As well as the fact that she smelled… nice.

He wondered why he felt so flustered at seeing her up-close. It had been a year, and it was good to see her, but his heart was starting to beat faster. Maybe it was because he had been thinking about her and the past all day?

* * *

><p>Chrono peeked over his shoulder to the sight of Yuuno's ever-reddening face. He couldn't help but shake his head, sighing as he did. Then he felt a brush against his mind, and opened the telepathic channel to Amy. '<em>Somehow, I have the feeling Mother set this up just to see this.<em>'

'_The Admiral does seem to be enjoying herself_,' Amy noted, glancing at Lindy's face. She was smiling as she watched the scene unfold. '_It's cute, in a way. You think he'll tell her how he feels?_'

He scoffed just a little. '_I sincerely doubt it. Assuming he knows how he feels, Ferret Boy doesn't have it in him to come out and say it. He's the defensive-type, so you pressure him until an opening appears and slip through his defenses to get the message across._'

'_Pot meet kettle._' She brushed her shoulder against his arm, taking her place next to his side. Their eyes met, and a rather knowing smile crept onto her face. '_I seem to recall you being in the same boat._'

'_I confessed eventually,_' he retorted. '_And, to be fair, I didn't know you were interested in me._'

'_I only had to spell it out for you over the course of several years…._' Amy placed a hand on her stomach. '_Then again, here we are. Starting a family…._'

Chrono let a soft sigh slip out of his mouth, which slowly became a rare smile. '_Yeah, I guess so…._'

* * *

><p>"Uh, so, how have you been?" Yuuno asked Nanoha after she took the seat to the right of him. "I mean, how's your training going towards entering the Combat Instructor Division?"<p>

She went into a detailed, vivid description of some of the training she had undergone in the last year since they had gotten together. Her training had been far more exciting than anything he had done in the last year, as expected of someone in her position. Graduation for her couldn't come soon enough, it seemed.

"But what about you, Yuuno-kun?" she asked, after finishing regaling him of her exploits. "How are things with you?"

He opened his mouth to tell her of his accomplishment, but the words died before they came out. If he mentioned the potential promotion, then he'd have to bring up why he didn't jump on it. That would bring some of his concerns to light, which would be a burden to her that she didn't need right now.

That, and the fact that he didn't want to risk hearing her suggestion to go one way or the other. She'd be able to talk him into either one, but for now he wanted to see where his future was heading towards through his own efforts. It was the only way he could be certain, and satisfied, with whatever path he chose.

With her still looking at him expectantly, he shifted his gaze and rubbed the top of his head. "Just more time in the Infinite Library, still in the middle of reorganizing things. Nothing special."

Chrono begged to differ. "You can say that, but at least when we need to do a reference in that section we can actually find what we're looking for in a reasonable timeframe now. Sending you there was the best thing to happen to the place."

"True, things are better than they were before," Yuuno admitted, "but there's still a lot of room for improvement in the wing I work in. Let alone the others. It could be well over a lifetime before its perfect…."

As he trailed off, Fate and Arf entered into the room. Fate took stock of everyone who had gathered, her brother, Amy, Nanoha, Lindy, and Yuuno, and smiled at the sight of so many familiar faces. "I had no idea we were having so many people over. I would have come out sooner."

"Amy and I returned earlier than we expected," Chrono said from the kitchen. "Scrya was apparently expected though."

"He wanted to speak to you and Arf about an expedition with his clan," Lindy stated. "I invited him over to do it since we haven't seen him in so long."

"Some of us more than others," the familiar said as she took a seat across from Yuuno, leaving her Mistress to take the seat next to Nanoha. "You went to see your clan after all, huh? How was it?"

His expression softened. "It was nice actually. There are a lot more kids there now, and I found myself actually enjoying playing with them in my ferret form. I really should have done it sooner, so thank you for what you said then."

"That's really nice," she said. "I'm happy for you."

"Arf-chan," Nanoha said, "you didn't tell us you met with Yuuno-kun."

"It was pure chance that we ran into one another, when you and Fate were practicing."Arf made a small, placating gesture with her hands. "We simply had lunch, but since it wasn't anything major I decided against mentioning it since you were both tired then. I wanted to wait until you both were relaxed before bringing it up, but it seems Lindy beat us to it."

"Like she said, it was a fluke," Yuuno added. "I would've said something myself, but you were both so dedicated that I didn't want to disturb your training. I know how difficult it is for both of you to even meet up being in different fields, on top of both of you living on different worlds. Since there wasn't much happening with me, I didn't want to intrude…."

"I guess I understand." Nanoha grumbled. She felt there was more to it, but she didn't want to pry.

Fate cleared her throat, grabbing their attention. "So what is this expedition about?"

"Right, that…" He adjusted his glasses by the bridge. "When I visited my clan, the elder invited me along to visit what looks to be a partially terraformed Type-1c world. There's a facility in the center of it and we were hoping it may have been of historical value, so two other clan members and I are going to scout the area. I wanted to ask if Arf could accompany us."

Arf's expression conveyed her confusion. But it was her Mistress that spoke on her behalf. "Not that I'm opposed, provided Arf agrees, but may I ask why?"

"Yes…" He trailed off into a sigh, shaking his head as memories from hours prior with Carrie came to the surface. She had warned him to take this seriously, reminding him that this wasn't something to be taken lightly when family lives were on the line. "This line of work is dangerous, you understand, and it's not strange for us to run into dangerous Lost Logia or thieves who would want to sell them."

"He's right." Lindy chimed in. "Archeologists have one of the most dangerous careers given their close-contact with relics of the Warring States era."

"For that reason, I want to make sure that we take as many precautions as possible," Yuuno's expression grew somber. "In all honesty, though I remain in practice, it's been too long for me to say without a doubt that I'm sufficient enough to support them. Few of our clan members are above C-rank in terms of ability, and I've seen what happens when we aren't careful on a dig more than once…. one time we even stumbled across a command unit Mariage."

Lindy winced. "That's… unfortunate. I'm sorry."

He exhaled silently with pursed lips before nodding. "We managed to stop it and reported it. That had to be enough. "

Nanoha frowned at seeing him like this. The topic was obviously difficult for him to talk about, but it left her wondering what it could have been that made him look like that. What was this thing that caused him to look so pained?

'_It's an ancient cybernetics' weapon from the Dark Ages,_' Fate explained through a telepathic link. She learned of it during her Enforcer-based curriculum. '_Hailing from the ancient Kingdom of Galea, it can be considered a greater threat than the Tome of the Night sky before it was purged of the corrupted defense program under a worst-case scenario._'

'_Really?_'

Fate nodded. '_It takes corpses and turns them into soldiers, twisting them into what amounts to B-Rank mage zombies that move under a hive mind. A command unit is arguably A-ranked and capable of raising the dead in combat time. Most likely, one or more of his clansmen were turned and then set loose upon them…._"

Nanoha's imagination worked its own magic, painting a grisly picture of one of her oldest friends dying only to have his corpse desecrated and twisted into an abomination. It made her shudder. Just thinking that the gentle scholar, who she could only see at his happiest while surrounded by books, facing something like that… it made her stomach drop.

"Should you really risk your life for something like that?" she asked. "Wouldn't it be better if you stayed in the Infinite Library instead of doing something so dangerous?"

He straightened out, facing her with conviction in his eyes and steel in his voice. "There's so much we don't understand from the time when Alhazred collapsed and the resulting eras. The things we find and gleam during the excavations can be used to better civilization as a whole, or make things safe for others. Could you imagine how things would be if the familiar uplifting program, one of the few things that carried from that time, hadn't survived the collapse?"

Fate's eyes drifted over to her familiar. Arf had been there for her during the hard and lonely times. Had she not, there was little doubt she wouldn't have been able to survive as she had to this day. "No, I couldn't. I don't even want to."

He ran his fingers through his hair and nodded to himself, confirming his own beliefs. "To this day, no one fully understands how the Familiar Uplifting works. By modern standards it shouldn't exist, but in the past they managed to do what we consider impossible. Now imagine if we could somehow find and understand the life-extension treatments that the Alhazredians had, or repurpose the ancestor-thrones of Praovéan Dynasts for life-support systems? Regardless of the risks, the discoveries to be had are worth pursuing despite the danger."

If even a minute before he seemed like a timid ferret that should have been nestled away inside the library for safety, now he seemed different. He was like they had known him once before, standing alongside them as a peer and equal. Not someone to be coddled.

"Much like all of you risk your lives for what you believe in, we do the same upholding that belief. We learn from their advancements, and we document the evidence of their mistakes to make sure it doesn't happen again. That is what it means to be a Scrya—to never be afraid to uncover the past, for the sake of the future!"

* * *

><p>There was a moment of absolute silence after his impassioned speech. It made sense. Few there could think of a time when he spoke with such conviction that it was unbefitting of his normally placid nature.<p>

Arf couldn't stop herself from clapping softly, easing the tension that had come about. The nature of the smile that blossomed on her face was that spoke of understanding, and a touch of envy. Looking at those emerald eyes that held a passion in them that burned as hot as the sun, she found herself wanting that.

For Fate, there was no sin too grave or risk too great that she wouldn't undertake to protect her. But now, falling behind as her Mistress grew stronger and older, she found herself where she wouldn't be needed despite her conviction. But, if a simple question could spark such a reaction in him after how she had seen him before, then maybe… just maybe, she could go along and find that same spark in protecting him. "If you put it like that there's no way we can so no, right, Fate?"

Fate nodded, turning to her best friend and letting their minds touch one another. '_Even as a child he was capable of supporting you when you were just spreading your wings. The stakes were so high, and he had no obligation to remain. Yet, even when it would have been easier to simply run away or ignore what happened on Earth, he stayed and fought like the rest of us. To think any less of him would be an insult._'

"I'm sorry, Yuuno-kun," Nanoha said, her voice soft. It had been so long that she only saw him as a friend who introduced her to magic, rather than someone who fought alongside her. She reached for his hands and took them into hers. "It's just that I was worried about you."

"I feel that same way thinking about every time all of you go out and do your jobs," he said. The softness of her touch was enough to warm on the inside, and the concern in her eyes was as clear as they were beautiful. They staggered his breath. "As… as your friend, no matter how strong all of you are, that fear will never fade."

'_You're blushing,_' Arf pointed out telepathically. Along with those words, she showed him her view of Amy and Chrono exchanging knowing glances, with Amy barely keeping herself from laughing. '_I'm willing to bet they're wondering if you'll be confessing now._'

He looked away, breaking the contact and covering his mouth as he got back on topic. "We're taught from a young age that history and relics from the past have to be preserved, whether good or bad. These artifacts and ruins hold a great deal of knowledge and can act as means of unraveling the mysteries of the past. That being said, I value life more and just want everyone to be safe. That's why I wanted to invite Arf, if she could get permission."

"If Arf wants to help you, she has my blessing," Fate said. "Just make sure both of you come back to us safe and sound."

"The initial scouting may take well over a week with the limited space and supplies on the ship, but we aren't expecting anything serious," he assured her. "She'd more than capable of helping during that time."

'_So it has nothing to do with what we discussed earlier?_' Arf prodded with a smile. '_And here I thought this was your way of paying me back._'

'_It's both,_' he replied. '_I want to help you like you helped me, giving you a chance to experience something different in hopes of finding whatever it is you're looking for... plus, everything I said was true. Your help would be more than welcomed._'

"Can we at least see you both off?" Nanoha asked. "I want to meet your family. You've meet all of ours, so it's only fair."

"I don't see why not," he said, scratching the back of his head.

"And with that said, dinner is done," Amy announced. With her husband-to-be, she set the table and the delicious aroma began to make their stomachs ache with the desire to consume it. "I hope there will be enough for everyone."

"Maybe I shouldn't impose any further," Yuuno said. He made to leave, only to be held in place by Lindy as she set her hands on his shoulders. The smile she wore felt ominous for some reason.

It was then Arf gave him some words of wisdom. 'There's no escape. Lindy doesn't let anyone leave the table when its dinner time. Just sit back down and make nice.'

Faced with that unchanging smile and the advice, he sank back in his seat. "I… guess I can stay a bit longer?"

The former Flotilla Admiral released him and clasped her hands. "Wonderful. Now girls, tell me how your day was…."

* * *

><p>Yuuno left feeling fuller than he expected, and later than he expected. That woman didn't let him go until he was stuffed, saying he needed to put on a bit more weight. Honestly, he felt like he wanted to curl up and sleep now.<p>

Standing outside, he stared at the two moons above for a brief moment in thought. He accomplished what he set out to do, but he didn't mean to have that sort of outburst. By the Kaisers, he hadn't even thought he still had that sort of passion in him for archeology after being in the Infinite Library. Yet, all it took was one comment from Nanoha to bring those buried feelings to the surface.

He was happy there, and like Chrono said, he did some real good there. But… for all the dangers, he did miss his time exploring ruins. Every corner was a mystery to unfold, holding secrets no one else had viewed in millennia. The tomes in the Library would remain there, and even if it took a lifetime they could be deciphered, but there were still countless things left to discover.

Surer than ever that he had to do this, he walked home with every intention of getting a decent rest for what was to come tomorrow…

Though he had to admit, maybe it would be faster if he shape-shifted. Four legs would be better than two, given how his stomach felt at the moment.


End file.
